Seaweed as products "for cooking" - What target consumers ? IDEALG Phase 3

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Submitted on 26 Jun 2018

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Seaweed as products ”for cooking” - What target consumers ? IDEALG Phase 3

Charline Comparini, Marie Lesueur, Morgane Marchand

To cite this version:

Charline Comparini, Marie Lesueur, Morgane Marchand. Seaweed as products ”for cooking” - What

target consumers ? IDEALG Phase 3. 2017, 4 p. �hal-01823947�

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CONSUMER FACTSHEET

L e s p u b l i c a t i o n s d u P ô l e h a l i e u t i q u e AG R OC A M P U S OU E ST

Seaweed as products “for cooking”

What target consumers?

Idealg project

Methodology and work focus

The surveys conducted by AGROCAMPUS OUEST as part of the Idealg project iden"ﬁed consumers inte- rested in seaweed as products “for cooking”, work that resulted in the authors asking the following ques-

"on: “Are seaweed food products suited to French ea+ng habits?”.

Diagram summing up the methods used

French-style seaweed products are distributed on a small-scale (mainly in specialised stores) but their culi-

Context

In Asia, seaweed is historically a tradi"onal source of food whereas in France, seaweed consump"on is re- la"vely limited and only started to gain momentum in the 2000s. French seaweed producers and processors have developed a very wide range of products suited to French-style cuisine based on seaweed in all its forms: fresh, dehydrated, raw, cooked, prepared, etc.

French consumers are increasingly op"ng for a varied, balanced diet that pleases the senses but they also associate “ea"ng well” with “home-cooked meals”. This means cooking their own meals using raw pro- ducts to enjoy tasty, quality food or cooking local products or products from the garden for reassurance about the origin of the food in their plate.

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What consumers?

According to the surveys, consumers wishing to cook and eat seaweed products are mainly well-oﬀ, highly qualiﬁed women.

This proﬁle includes current consumers of French-style seaweed products, i.e. mainly women aged 30 to 60 with medium to high income. They prefer to eat seaweed at the restaurant and some of them cook it at home. These consumers eat organic produces and regularly shop at specialised stores (organic and Asian food stores).

A number of non-seaweed consumers may also ﬁt the proﬁle, especially those who regularly cook their own meals and want to eat natural, fresh and/or organic food.

What seaweed-based products?

French-style raw or minimally processed products perfectly match this “home-cooked” trend and meet the expecta"ons of consumers who want to eat tasty, high-quality and convivial food, as demonstrated by their popularity amongst chefs.

These products perfectly suit simple or more sophis"cated French cuisine recipes and can be used by both beginners and more experienced cooks, for all ea+ng occasions. These products are made from seaweed species that naturally grow on Bri<any’s coast and, for most of them, are harvested or cul+vated in France and processed by French companies. All these criteria match the “home-cooked meal” deﬁni"on in full.

The French-style product range also includes a few processed seaweed products that require some kind of prepara"on. These products, like seaweed and cereal mixes, are extensions of Western-style product or meal ranges widely available in France, which means that most people know how to use and prepare them. They are easier to use than raw products, especially for inexperienced cooks and can be cooked quickly.

Consumers of products “for cooking”

• Gender: Female

• Age: 25 to 64

• Income: high

• Socio-professional category:

highly qualiﬁed Target proﬁles

Consumers of products “for cooking”

• Raw or minimally processed products: dehydrated seaweed; natural and/or brined seaweed; fresh, salted seaweed; condiments and tartars

• Processed food: soups, starchy foods, fresh and dehydrated salads, ready-mix for sweet cakes

Seaweed products matching the

proﬁle

Ea+ng occasions and places

• All (including aperi"fs and a@ernoon snacks)

• Restaurants and at home

Project accredited by

With the ﬁnancial support of

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What product innova+ons?

In order to meet French consumers’ demand for fresh, organic food with a clear origin, French-style seaweed products “for cooking” must con"nue to be sold at delicatessens and organic food shops (chain or independent stores) and also at shops specialised in fresh products like the “Grand Frais” supermarkets in France. Another distribu"on channel could be tradi+onal ﬁshmongers, especially for non-seaweed consumers who expect to ﬁnd seaweed in these outlets.

The variety of seaweed products and the fact that they can be used in a mul"tude of cooking applica"ons mean that in-store category marke+ng can help enhance their visibility by grouping them in terms of their consump"on universe and then in categories based on their complementarity, similarity or subs"tutability.

What distribu+on channel and marke+ng?

Improving packaging

Produc+on innova+ons

• Aesthe+cs: recyclable, semi-transparent packaging with an appealing, evoca"ve graphic design and colours

• Informa+on on the back of the packaging: product composi"on, origin and name of the species, place of manufacture, and possibly the name of the producer

• Recipes and +ps: simple recipes, easy to prepare and adapted to French-style cui- sine, on the back of the packaging or in a separate booklet

Plus points

⇒ Rassure Reassures consumers about the visual aspect

⇒ A<racts and informs consumers about the product and its origin

⇒ Facilitates purchase choices

⇒ Helps consumers adopt the product and cook it, alone at home Minus points ⇒ Marke"ng investment

The visual aspect is a determining factor when deciding to buy a product. This is why improving the aesthe-

"cs of the packaging of seaweed products “for cooking” is so important, as well as using it to convey informa"on.

Distribu+on

channel Seaweed products “for cooking” Loca+on Promo+onal tools

Super and hyper- markets

Fresh and salted seaweed, seaweed tartars

Self-service delicatessen sec"on Dehydrated seaweed, seaweed

in jars, canned condiments and tartars

Grocery sec"on

Organic shops

Fresh and salted seaweed Chilled sec"on _•Spo<ers

• Window s"cke Dehydrated seaweed, seaweed in

jars, condiments and tartars

Grocery sec"on

Tradi+onal ﬁshmongers (non-travelling )

Dehydrated seaweed, seaweed in jars, tartars and condiments

Shelf near the ﬁsh stall _•Small promo-

"onal posters Raw and fresh seaweed products At the centre of

the ﬁsh stall

• Spo<ers

• Display units

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Project accredited by

With the ﬁnancial support of

What communica+on ?

To clarify the choice for retailers when purchasing seaweed products “for cooking” and help them be<er sell edible seaweed to their customers, a number of incen"ves can be implemented by processors, if possible collec+vely, in view of the costs incurred.

Processors and retailers of seaweed products “for cooking” could also launch consumer communica"on campaigns to boost sales.

Target audience Retailers Consumers

Objec+ves

• Train retailers _• Raise consumers’ awareness of seaweed and reassure them about its taste

• A<ract and inform consumers

• Promote sales

• Help consumers adopt the product and cook it alone at home

Possible measures

• Technical factsheets 1. On edible seaweed and produc"on methods 2. Speciﬁc to each proces- sor (produc"on and oﬀer) with "ps on how to use their seaweed products

• Cooking workshops: how to cook seaweed sessions for salespeople, small retailers , sec"on managers and shop assistants

• Hand out samples: samples of fresh or dehy- drated seaweed depending on the ﬁsh or shell- ﬁsh bought by customers, with "ps on how to use it

• Promo+ons and tas+ng events: proposed in store by processors and retailers

• Product informa+on and recipes: informa"on about seaweed, recipes and how to cook it

• Seaweed cooking kit containing more or less prepared seaweed products, a booklet on seaweed (produc"on, origin, seasonality, orga- nolep"c quali"es, recipes) and a suitable cooking utensil

For further informa+on

COMPARINI Charline, LESUEUR Marie, LE BRAS Quen"n, LUCAS Sterenn, GOUIN Stéphane. 2016. Quelles pistes d’ac ons pour impulser la consomma on des algues en France. Programme IDEALG Phase 3. Les publica"ons du Pôle halieu"que AGROCAMPUS OUEST n°40 à 43, 136 p.

Contact

Marie Lesueur • [email protected] • +33(0)2.23.48.58.62

Morgane Marchand • [email protected] • +33(0)2.23.48.55.30

All the results are available on the Fisheries and Aqua"c Sciences Centre website:

halieu"que.agrocampus-ouest.fr • “Etudes et Transfert” sec"on • IDEALG